"Stotan!" tells the fictional story of a high school student Walker Dupree who is the captain of his school's small swim team in Spokane, Washington. Walker and the other three members of the team, Nortie Wheeler, Lion Serbousek, and Jeff Hawkins are good friends who create an even stronger bond after spending a week of intense training together in what their coach, Max Song, calls "Stotan week."

A "Stotan" is a cross between a Stoic and a Spartan, Max explains to them, and the training technique is meant to push the boys' endurance to the point where they transcend their physical pain and adopt a mental attitude that allows them to withstand any hardship. The boys enter into the ordeal with enthusiasm, moving into Lion's dismal apartment for the duration of the week. This takes place over Christmas vacation. The boys are exhausted after the first...